Hometown hero Liu still battling Achilles injury

By Gao Changxin (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-05-22 10:33

SHANGHAI - Still trying to get fully fit after his Achilles injury, China's star hurdler, Liu Xiang, has shrugged off any expectations of a sterling performance at the second stop of the IAAF Diamond League on Sunday in his hometown of Shanghai.

Hometown hero Liu still battling Achilles injury

Liu Xiang attends a news conference ahead of the IAAF Diamond League meet in Shanghai on Friday. [Aly Song/Reuters]

In a pre-race press conference on Friday, the 26-year-old Athens Olympic gold medalist in the 110-meter hurdles said his aim this weekend was a modest time of 13.50 seconds, more than half a second slower than his personal record of 12.88 set in Switzerland in 2006.

"Right now I am far from my best condition," said Liu. "Though the operation on my foot went pretty well, it still pains me when I increase my training.

"I don't think I can make it to the (Shanghai) podium. My training has not been going very well," he said.

Liu's archrival, Cuba's Dayron Robles, the world record holder and 2008 Beijing Olympic champion, won't be at the meet but that is of no concern for Liu.

"It doesn't make a difference if he is here or not," he said.

"We are currently on different levels, he is so much faster than me now. I will just concentrate on myself."

Two of Liu's compatriots, Shi Dongpeng and Yin Jing, will also appear in the event.

Shi, the country's second best hurdler with a personal record of 13.19, has been running in Liu's shadow for a number of years, but Liu said his strategy this weekend was to "follow in Shi's steps and see if I can finish ahead of him".

Meanwhile, the world's fastest man, Jamaican Usain Bolt, will also appear in Sunday's event; his first trip back to China after the Beijing Olympics where he dominated the 100 and 200 meters.

The 100 and 200 record holder said he is ready to give his fans a good performance in Shanghai.

However, he will only take part in 200m as the men's 100 is not on the schedule at the Shanghai meet.

"For me, China is a good place to make some breakthroughs as I did two years ago in Beijing," said Bolt. "I started out my season in style (in South Korea) and I am looking good so far ... though I need to work on a few things."